The Numinous Art
by olivesandfun
Summary: At the end of Lily Evan's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Mirror of Erised and her boggart showed her the same thing: James Potter. Set in 6th, 7th, and post-Hogwarts, Lily and the Marauders weave themselves into a darkening world, as a war quickly approaches.
1. Prologue

The Numinous Art

Lily Evans knew she would die at some point. Yet as all are in childhood, she undeniably believed she was the exception. Lily ran, she leaped, and when she jumped up high into the air, she flew, and the clouds themselves puffed up her skirts to keep her up a little longer. She would jump out of the towering limbs of the park's ash trees, and fall with the helicopter leaves. Always, the clouds would lift her skirts and she would hover in midair while giggling and kicking her feet until inevitably, she would come crashing down to the green grass where her ankles would roll and her knees would hit the ground with a big "oof!" Lily would lay there, her fiery hair in her mouth and around her head, minuscule leaf bits coating her eyelashes, and smile up into the sky. Only when her back began to ache from whatever position she was holding, or when Tuney would come pounding over the hill demanding she would come home for dinner would Lily haul herself up and trudge home, saying a little thank you to the clouds as she left.

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Lily found herself looking into the eyes of a very strange boy. If it had been anyone else she would have given a yelp, yet she just quite couldn't. The boy tilted his head, giving her an inquisitorial look that was _almost_ reprimanding. Lily was instantly infuriated; if there was one thing she hated it was condescending strangers. She rolled over from under his gaze and stood up, hands clutching at the blue tulle fabric of her dress. The boy looked startled, as if a vase had jumped off of a table of its own accord. She looked at him once more; he was wearing a white shirt buttoned up to his neck (which all but set off his pale skin) with a gray jacket. His hair was long and his eyes were dark; they matched. He smiled at her, and spoke.

"I'm Severus." Lily took a breath and hesitated. Mum and Tuney had always told her not to speak to strangers; and by the looks of this boy, both would not approve. With them in mind, she decided she would definitely try to befriend the strange boy before her.

"I'm Lily," she said confidently, "it's nice to meet you." With a slight smirk, Severus replied,

"It's nice to meet you too." Lily smiled, wide and wicked, and asked mischievously,

"Do you like trees?

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Severus never joined Lily in the ash tree. When brought over by Lily and taught her process, he grimaced and shook his head, quick to point out the state he had found her in minutes before. She twisted her lips and simply said a quick 'Okay' and hopped up the nearest tree.

"You can watch from there!" she yelled, high from a branch, hoping Severus could hear. In fact, he could. He watched her legs swing back and forth to hit the leaves, causing them to spiral down in a dance and land in his hair. He sighed, ruffled them out, and called back,

"You're going to fall and kill yourself up there!"

Lily's legs stopped abruptly. Severus saw a gleam of red hair and blue fabric plummet towards the ground, and he lurched forward to catch her when- she stopped; everything did, really. Her skirt puffed up around her, her hair whipped around her face and laughter bubbled from her mouth as she, only for a moment, played in the air with the wind.

Lily plummeted to the ground as was expected, and she felt a twinge of disappointment that she had not stayed up longer. She hit the ground and rolled, and when her movement stopped, pulled herself up off the ground to meet a -wait, _beaming_ Severus? She looked at him quizzically, raising her eyebrows in question.

"I knew it."

"Sorry?" she said, not quite sure if she had heard him right.

"I knew you were like me."

And with only a simple fall out of the ash tree, Lily Evans was introduced to what had been following her around for a very long time: magic.

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"There are _real trolls_?" Lily asked as they trudged back together towards home. "Like, the ones under bridges? In bedtime stories?"

"Well, some live under bridges, but most live in the mountains I think," replied Severus, hands stuffed in his pockets, which suddenly flew up as he exclaimed, "Unicorns too! Although I've never really seen one of those."

Lily looked at him, stunned. Severus had told her many an incredible thing over the last three days; yet she would not, could not, fathom that a unicorn could exist. Severus just grinned and nodded fervently, as if he knew what she had been thinking.

They talked for a while longer, taking a detour to go home (as they had done the previous days) which consisted of Severus ranting about the new world, and Lily interjecting only occasionally to voice her disbelief. They reached the front of her house and Severus stood awkwardly by the gate as she bounded up the steps. She heard him call her name, and turned around promptly.

"I-I'd really wish you'd stop jumping out of those trees," he said nervously. "Even with, you know…" he said, cupping his hand around his mouth and whispering, " _magic_... I'm still quite-well, quite scared you might die."

Lily tensed, then looked at Severus with a quiet, knowing smile. Lily Evans knew she would die at some point. She had figured that out long ago. Yet she tried to pretend, she pretended as hard as she could, that she was the exception, as we all do. But really, Lily Evans _did_ know she would die at some point. She just happened to believe it would not come from falling out of an ash tree.

"Sev," she said, "the way I figure it, we all owe the universe a death. But I don't think I particularly owe it that right now; and I hope to God it thinks that too. Sev, you saw; the clouds are on my side, and I have _magic_ now. I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you promise?" peeped Severus. Surprised Lily said back,

"Yeah, Sev, I promise. I'll always come back to you, 'lright?

"Always?" he asked holding out a hand.

"Always." she said, and shook it firmly.

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A/N: Hi everyone! I know this first chapter is a little rocky, but I'd really appreciate it if you gave it two things; a chance and a review. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1: The Train

Chapter 1

 _In which lily evans is a bit late_

Lily groaned as she woke. Her eyes slowly peeled open to reveal beams of light coming in to hit her walls, spattering her carpet with white. Took basked in an incoming ray, the beam illuminating his dirt-like feathers messily. Her luggage was strewn across the room in a splatter of scarlet and gold; her robes hung off of the edge of her bed and a stray scarf lay halfway-mangled in the door hinge. She pulled a stray piece of hair out of her mouth, groaning again as she rolled over to push the alarm button on her clock.

Wait. The alarm button. On her clock. Which was, presently, not ringing.

Lily let out an ungodly shriek as she read the time: 9:58. As she pulled her things frantically into her trunk, she continued to let out a sustained yell, hoping it might help fasten the process.

Her door burst open, revealing a purple pyjama clad woman, her thin grey braids whipping frantically as she slowed. She steadied herself on the door before yelling,

"Lily! Good heavens, what's gotten into you?" In response, Lily only held up her clock as she sifted under the bed for her jumper. Lily's mother let out a great yelp before she turned around to yell, "PETUNIA!"

Petunia had caused a great spectacle in refusing to step foot near King's Cross, let alone even go near Platform 9 3/4; when they neared, she pursed her lips, crossed her arms and shook her head back and forth until Lily's mum gave her a good shove through the barrier. Lily watched her mother go through with Petunia and felt a twinge of sadness: this was her first year stepping on to the platform without her dad.

She tugged at the straps on Took's cage; the ruddy owl had learned how to pick locks over the summer, and kept delivering trinkets from her room to who knows where. She quickly checked everything a hundredth time over, mentally running a list in her head. She began to panic when she couldn't feel her wand in her pocket, sighing when she found she was holding it in her hand. She pulled in a breath, tucked her hair behind her ears, and ran with closed eyes towards the platform. Immediately, she felt a slight pressure all around her, as if invisible hands were pressing from all directions and the world was twisting itself like a piece of paper. In an instant, it stopped.

Lily inhaled. She opened her eyes.

The sight before her was beautiful and chaotic, just as she remembered from last year. Bodies flashed by busily in smears of colors; black, purple, and green all meshing together as they moved towards the train. The soft, metallic smell of steam combined with the exotic scents of people from all places, and Lily was fairly sure she smelled ginger. Children bustled around with their House-decorated trunks, bumping into other's knees as they desperately tried to steer the rolling carts towards the train. Lily smiled softly when she saw a pale, blond haired boy of about five rubbing his eyes as a he sat on his sister's trunk, paint still on his face from Halloween night. Hearing a whistle, she turned to see the sleek black varnish of the Hogwart's Express, glinting as it sighed and whined, preparing for the journey ahead. Lily's smile faded as she heard a noise of disgust, and turned to Petunia, who looked like she had just sucked on a lemon. She glared, long and hard, yet Petunia only shrugged and managed to peep out,

"It smells disgusting."

When Lily stepped onto the Hogwarts Express, she knew that she was late, but didn't believe that there would be nowhere to sit. She paced the hall of the sixth-year section, looking desperately for Mary and Marlene.

Mary, like herself was a Muggle. Lily often wondered if Mary and her would have become friends otherwise: they had met on their first night at Hogwarts. Lily, the socializer as she was, quickly began to talk with the other new Gryffindors about how difficult classes would be.

 _"_ _I hope we don't have to do a magical version of fill-in-the-bubble," she said quickly, when another student mentioned his brother had once failed a Transfiguration test because he couldn't turn a thimble into a cork. She was met with various looks of astonishment._

 _"_ _What can you even put in there?" said one boy, his voice laced with worry at the prospect of filling a bubble. Two voices spoke together when Lily and a the girl next to her both tried to correct him._

 _"_ _No, no," Lily corrected, "it's a kind of-"_

 _"_ _Muggle test." said the other._

 _"_ _But won't the bubble pop?" said the same boy, looking back and forth between the two. Lily sighed saying a quick 'never mind' before turning to the girl beside her. She had frizzy blond hair pinned down by a blue headband, and freckles that resembled brown paint flicked across her face by a paintbrush. She fiddled with her hands nervously in her lap, waiting for Lily to speak._

 _"_ _Are you a...Mudgle too?" she said, whispering. The girl looked confused, and then smiled, her gap teeth poking over her front lip as she laughed. "I think I heard someone say that's what the people with normal mum and dads are."_

 _"_ _I'm not sure, but I think it's Muggle!" she said, still giggling. Lily grinned too: either way, it was quite a silly word. "And yes, I am. My mum's a nurse and my dad's a teacher, they were a wee bit surprised when they found out I'm...magical, I guess?" she said, cocking her head to contemplate._

 _"_ _Mine too," Lily said, still whispering, "my sis threw up in the loo when my letter came!" she said mischievously, and the girl roared with laughter before reaching out a hand to say,_

 _"_ _I'm Mary." Lily took it._

 _"_ _Hi Mary, I'm Lily."_

Soon, Lily found Marlene and Mary sitting together. She peeked in, only to see Alice Fawley and Frank Longbottom sitting across from them, a good distance from each other and hands folded firmly in their laps. Lily suppressed a smirk. Marlene saw Lily in the window, clenching her jaw and widening her eyes as she flicked them quickly to Frank and Alice. This time, Lily couldn't keep the smile off of her face, the smug grin still burning when she saw Mary mouth 'SORRY' with a panicked look on her face. Lily rolled her eyes and waved her hand, preparing to leave, when the compartment door was flung open and out stumbled a frazzled looking Alice.

"Lily! Oh bugger, I'm so _sorry,_ we thought you weren't coming, and-"

"Alice, Alice," Lily cooed, trying to calm down the blabbering girl unsuccessfully, when finally she had to put a hand over Alice's mouth to say "Alice! It's fine! I'm sure there are _loads_ of other seats."

"Are you sure?" Alice said, eyebrows raised. "I didn't really see-"

"Yeah, it's fine! Now go talk up Longbottom, he hasn't taken his eyes off of you since you came out here."

Lily smiled once more, picked up her things. She sighed as she turned around, leaving behind a gaping Alice Fawley, throwing her scarf over her shoulder as she left.

Lily began to panic. All compartments she looked in were full, all residents like Marlene in their answers. She looked quickly at her watch; the little numbers flashed out a dooming 10:56. It looked like she would have to sit in the Prefect compartment; something she had been dreading since the tiny silver badge came with her letter. Over the summer, all the appointed prefects had begun to correspond with another (heavens knows why) and Lily blanched when she found out Dorcas Meadowes had been on the list. Lily, only for a moment, thought of what the day would entail, and shivered. Grudgingly, she turned to leave.

Lily Evans would have gone to the Prefect compartment; she would have sat down and the others would have welcomed her merrily with chatter, prodding her to try some of the sweets they had all planned to share. She would have traded bitter yet awkward looks with Dorcas, and gossiped with the others. Lily would have fallen asleep for a couple hours, getting the rest she so highly needed, and would have awoken to see a dimly lit platform and a glowing castle awaiting her.

This did not happen.

Instead, just as she was about to leave, she felt a voice by her ear.

"Hello Evans," said a deep voice in a whisper, "looking for a place to sit?" Lily closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose in a grimace. Pivoting on a heel, she slowly turned around to meet the Cheshire-grin of James Potter. "Boy, Evans, I was going to give you a nasty look, but I see you already have one!" he exclaimed, nonchalantly waving to her face. Lily looked him up and down; he had grown taller since she had last seen him.

"Potter," she said, enunciating every syllable, "what can I do for you today?"

"Well, Evans, you should be glad you asked, since I, the gentleman that I am, happen to have an empty seat." Lily snorted.

"Aw, did the wolf pack run off?"

"Yeah, he's-."

"What?"

"Yeah, most of us are there." Lily peered at him through half-lidded eyes.

"Who's no-"

"Never mind that," he snapped, cutting her off, "it's fairly simple, Evans. I have a seat, you need one. It's a give and get situation. And, you get to spend some time with me!"

"Godric, no." she whispered.

"Try to see it from my perspective." he said, absently pushing a curl out of his glasses.

"Honestly, I'm trying," she drawled, "but I just can't seem to get my head that far up my arse, and-"

"Ha ha. Would you look at that! Look who just walked into the Prefect section!" he merrily exclaimed, pointing behind her. Lily whipped around, eyes blazing, only to meet the Ravenclaw eagle's sharp eyes, stitched into the navy scarf of a retreating Dorcas Meadowes. Lily whipped around to meet a grinning James.

"How did you know about that?" she snapped, digging a finger into his chest.

"Do you want the seat Evans?" he asked, tapping on her wrist. "You've got probably thirty seconds to decide." Lily tugged at her hair and looked at the ceiling. Of all the people who would have an open seat, it was James. She clenched her teeth and glared at him, hands on her neck. He raised his eyebrows and smiled with closed lips, nodding towards the cabin. She let out a low growl, forcing out a loud 'DAMMIT!' before tugging her luggage in, terrifying a passing second-year.

Lily trudged in after James to find Sirius Black sprawled across a seat with a scarf over his eyes, both legs propped up on the armrest. Peter Pettigrew sat across from him, jumping in his seat and staring at Lily with bulging eyes as she walked in. Muffled by the scarf tassels in his mouth, Sirius let out a closed-mouth laugh as he heard the cabin door shut.

"I told you that was a dead case mate."

"Is it now?" James said seriously, grinning behind him at Lily who only rolled her eyes in response. Peter let out a muffled cough beside her.

"Please, a bird that looks like _that_ wouldn't-"

"Jesus, Padfoot, you stupid git," James said, throwing a candy wrapper at Sirius, "I've got her right here." Sirius sat up quickly, pulling the scarf off of his face. A wolfish grin began to spread across his face as he took in Lily Evans, arms crossed smugly over her chest, red hair flying about. Sirius bit his lip and looked pointedly at James, nodding as he said let out a reverent,

"Holy shit."

Lily rolled her eyes once more and cuffed him on the head as she threw up her luggage onto the rack.

"Sirius. Always a pleasure."

"It sure is, love," he said teasingly, "care to sit?" Lily paused to think; she bet her life James had the situation meticulously planned out. She looked back at James, who was wearing a look of dead betrayal as he glared at Sirius. He wiped his face clean as soon as she glanced at him; she wondered if she had really seen it at all. Lily plopped down on the seat. James scowled slightly, as Lily laid down, resting her head between Sirius' feet on the armrest. James shook his head and Sirius laughed, nudging her head with his foot.

"Keep doing that Black, and I'll hex your toes off." she grumbled, adjusting sideways.

"Oh, are we on Black now? I thought I was just Sirius."

She reached around to whap him on the knees, him grinning all the while before she turned to the pudgy boy sitting diagonal to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James sit down quietly.

"How are you, Peter?"

The blonde boy's face stared at her stunned, before lighting up with delight as he said,

"Oh, I'm fine! How- how was your… um…"

"Summer?"

"Yeah, yeah, how was your summer?"

"It was alright," she said sighing, "honestly, not much happened." Peter looked a little disappointed, as if he had been expecting to hear tales of battling dragons or domesticating gnomes. "What about you?"

Peter's face once again lit up as he began talking of his mother, who had traveled to Scotland over the summer while he had to stay and watch their dog. Lily looked over to James as Peter continued to talk, suppressing a snort when she saw him rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers, leaned against the cabin door. She noted once again he had grown taller over the summer; his lanky legs stretched across the floor to bump where hers would have been. It looked as if his mother had tried to tame his hair before he had gotten on the train, messy loose curls falling into his closed eyes and looping themselves around his glasses. The same tiny arch of freckles was present on his forehead, the same royal nose holding up his slippery wire-framed glasses. It also seemed as if he had showered; his hair retained some moisture and his glasses fogged up when he gave a huff, Peter now talking about his second-cousin's wedding.

"Okay, Wormtail, you've already put Padfoot to sleep," he drawled, gesturing to a slightly snoring Sirius, "let's not put her down too." James winked, and Peter snickered, both of them sharing a joke Lily didn't quite seem to catch. Peter shrugged at Lily, smiling shyly before turning to grab a book above him.

"Where's Lupin?" Lily asked, noting the absent member of the self-proclaimed "famous" Marauders.

"Said he wasn't feeling well. His mum's dropping him off tomorrow." James replied.

"Not feeling well?"

"Not feeling well." he said a note of finality in his voice as he pushed his glasses up his nose. Lily chewed on her lip in thought, peering at James.

James leaned against the wall again, and shut his eyes. Wiggling his shoulders to adjust and putting his cheek in his hand, James whispered, "Enjoy the view Evans?" eyes yet to be opened as he said it. Lily scowled, flipping around to face the cushion before snapping out,

"Twat." she peeked over her shoulder to see James Potter peering at her with one eye open, raking over her sweatpants. She decided it was possibly not the best idea to wear them on a train of wizards. She narrowed her eyes at him one more time, turning back around as she heard a low chuckle come from the soon to be sleeping James Potter.

A/N: Train ride to be continued! Thank you SO much to Blunt Dagger and Supergoddad for my first review, I can't tell you how excited I was when I first saw them. I promise longer chapters soon, I just have to get over this butload of work. :) Again, thanks so much.


	3. Chapter 2: The Mermaid

Chapter 2

 _In which Jules Verne is quoted, and Lily Evans is shaken_

Lily awoke to the musky smell of felt cushions. Her nose was pressed thoroughly into the seat, and her leg draped casually off of the side. Her eyes peeked open and she rolled over, groaning from the uncomfortable position that had occupied the previous hours. Strewn across the cabin around her were three sleeping boys, all in varying states of disarray. She blinked a few times; it was a sight she was not quite used to upon waking. James sat across from her practically melted into the seat and door; his hand still held up his cheek as it had hours before. Peter sat next him, head folded back with his book in his lap, the pages fluttering from the breeze of the cracked window. She looked over to see Sirius' scarf unpurposefully wrapped around his head, leather jacket bunched up in his arms. Evidently, by the state of his pant cuffs, Lily had been sleeping on his feet. As Sirius' head bounced from the rattling of the train, the night whipped by silently behind him. Lily's eyebrows furrowed in thought; she felt a strange sense of nostalgia, yet for something unknown. Sirius stirred in the corner of her eye, and Lily soon realized that she had never seen the night-drawn portion of the journey to Hogwarts. She peeked out the dotted the rolling navy hills, their only job seeming to be to support the quickly nearing cliffs. The looming rocky faces dipped in and out, shadowing themselves, yet some glinted with the moonlight that poured from the gleaming moon. Steam from the train floated past the window intermittently, braiding itself into the passing trees, and parting over a dark shape, which swooped to meet the window next to hers.

Lily leaped off of the seat and crawled over the floor to press her hand against the window, straining, only to review a raven pecking at her neighbor's window. As the nearby trees bent to the passing train, Lily sat back and swayed with them, though mentally. Why had she fallen asleep only an hour into the day long journey? Looking back, she saw herself slipping into sleep as she had stared at the wine colored seat. Slowly she saw her behavior weaving itself into patterns; when the mere suggestion of sleep was instilled by James as he slumped across from her, she had fallen into it herself. When James suggested she sit in his cabin, she had only expressed disgust, yet allowed mild interest. She had followed _him_ into the cabin, looking to see where _he_ had planned for her to sit. Lily began to panic as she helplessly searched for relief in a situation where she was dominant, yet couldn't find one in the previous hours. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when the lake appeared through the window; it glinted with moonlight, perfectly serene against her passing view. She was startled when the surface began to ripple, and a smear of a shape punctured the glasslike water.

"Probably a mermaid," a voice whispered closely, "they love the train."

Lily whipped to her left to find Sirius fiddling with his scarf, uncomfortably wrapped around his neck upon waking. She studied him; he too had grown over the summer, though more in looks than height. His head and neck tilted gracefully to look at the lake behind him. He had pulled back his dark hair into a crude bun at the nape of his neck, and a few stray pieces framed his face. His face fell in shadow; yet the tip of his nose and his open neck were messily illuminated by a beam of moonlight. As she stared, his mouth split into a smile, teeth shining even so in the shadow as he said to the ceiling, "You knew that." She paused, before responding,

"I would have figured it out." He finally turned his head to her after a few moments, and looked her in the eyes.

"You're quite smart," he murmured, "aren't you?"

"I'd like to say so." In response, he only hummed, low and short. Lily narrowed her eyes, staring into those of Sirius. She couldn't quite figure out what color they were. Now, Lily wasn't afraid of much anything, let alone a boy who had just complimented her. Yet in that moment, as Sirius turned to once again face the ceiling, she found herself becoming more uneasy as the seconds passed. This boy was different from the one she had encountered in the morning; this one was riddled with shadows and frisk; he was dangerous post comatose.

"What woke you up?"

"You."

"Is that so?"

"I was sleeping on your feet." Sirius hummed a low laugh once more. He again began to try to untangle to scarf from his neck before letting out a muffled,

"Beginning to become comfortable." Lily looked out the window, annoyed. Sirius hadn't said that shallowly; she knew he meant it more than the sense of "getting comfy." Sleep, in itself, was intimate to both Lily and the situation she was in: it was the essential form of trust. And she was lulled into the dark willingly, onto the body of Sirius Black. She flicked back again to her previous thoughts, and scowled. She was succumbing to the suggestion of these boys. Testily, she admitted,

"Quite quickly." Sirius let out a quick noise, what Lily thought was a 'yeah' and a laugh at the same time. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, gesturing lazily to the boy sleeping against the door.

"He ran out to catch you before you got to the last cabin."

"The last cabin had seats open, didn't it?"

"You are smart. How did you figure out that one?"

"He kept looking over my shoulder as he was talking to me. I assumed it was Severus." Sirius smiled once again at the ceiling, settling his shoulders behind him and closing his eyes once more.

"How'd you see that?"

"He had his wand in the sleeve of his shirt. He normally keeps it in his back pocket."

"Been watching carefully, have we?," Sirius drawled, which earned him a smack on the forehead from Lily. She looked over at James. The cabin had taken on a certain chill, and the window was fogging as the night drew colder. James breath puffed up in little clouds from his mouth, and Peter shivered slightly next to her. She turned back to Sirius and shrugged, though she thought he probably didn't see.

"Observing. There's a difference."

"Between watching and observing? They're the same."

"I'd say the difference is between interest. If I was _watching_ James, I'd pick up little quirks of his, mannerisms that define him. I _observe_ him Sirius, only in my own interest. Observation has to do more on what I'm paying attention to. I've _observed_ that he keeps his wand in his back pocket because I need to know where he'll draw. I've _observed_ that he snaps his fingers when he's about to do something stupid. I've _observed_ that he doesn't know when- what?" Sirius was flipped on his side to face her, grinning like a madman.

"Hell, I didn't know it went _both_ ways."

"You of all people know it doesn't." Lily saw a shadow pass over Sirius' face. He looked at her, obviously not in thought of himself. Slowly, a smile dragged itself across his face as he shook his head.

"You of all people know it does." She glared at him. "Careful with that one," he drawled, once again gesturing to James, "you don't know what he'll do to you."

"I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"You're going to let him?"

"Like hell I will," she said, "I want to know what he's planning. We haven't talked in months, Sirius." Sirius chuckled, and nudged her cheek with his fist. She narrowed her eyes. He was playing with her. She pushed his hand away, and heaved herself onto the seat next to him. "Don't be so condescending, Black," she spat.

"Just a bit of fun love," he said, gesturing in the air, "that normally gets them everytime."

"Padfoot," came a voice from behind her, "did you just punch her in the face?" Lily turned to see James leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, warily watching them both.

"Well, I know you like it a bit rough Prongs," Sirius grinned, "thought I'd give it a shot myself."

"Bloody idiots." Lily muttered, as both boys shook their shoulders and waggled their eyebrows at each other. Mentally, she shuddered. In those seconds before James' interruption, Lily felt like the room was a balloon, and Sirius had stood smirking with a pin. She frowned; she had succumbed yet again by letting him control the conversation."What thoughts fill your waking hours?"

"Though sleep is called our best friend, it is a friend who often keeps us waiting!" James declared, "I don't sleep, Ms. Evans, the night does not tame James Potter." This earned another whoop from Sirius behind her.

"You bastard, that was Verne. At least try to be original." Lily scoffed. She could tell the atmosphere of the morning was back, yet Sirius glanced at her once more before turning back to James,

Lily saw Peter rubbing his eyes, taking in the sight before him: herself, arms folded in disapproval, James, arrogantly poking her knee, and Sirius, lying down yet managing to dance nonetheless.

"I feel like my sense are being smushed," he said, rubbing his eyes, "what did I miss?"

"Not much," Lily replied, "I despise your friends." Peter grinned sheepishly.

"I mean that's not new, is it?"

"No Peter, it's not." Lily smiled. Sirius and James continued in the background.

A/N: Hi! I know I promised longer chapters, but I thought I would just cap off the train ride and I know I haven't updated in awhile. I think I'm beginning to get a flow of storyline; starting a new story is always so rough! Thanks so much for reading, if you have any tips, I'd love to hear them.


	4. Chapter 3: The Meeting

Chapter Three

 _~ in which Francis Ford Coppola is minorly insulted ~_

As it did, always, the castle loomed from a distance. Lily's eyes lit up with excitement, and she felt her chest becoming warmer as it drew closer. Behind her, Peter was once again reading his book. Sirius had finally left the seat to sit next to James; the two were huddled next to each other talking excitedly over a piece of parchment and ink, jotting down notes quickly. For the remaining entirety of the ride, Lily had sat across from the three, alone with her seat.

As the train looped around the lake, mermaids would come through the surface and flick their tails, erratic enough to still be surprising. Every time, Lily would feel a twinge of resentment; she wouldn't have guessed they were mermaids if Sirius hadn't pointed it out. The sight looked too much like a knife coming up from the inside of a chest, and it was too beautiful for her to comprehend, yet alone identify the source. At one point, James had let out a quiet intake of breath when one of them broke the surface once more, and Lily had looked over her shoulder to see him staring at the lake, just as she had. His eyes had glinted with the window's reflection, and he held the moment for just one breath before turning back to Sirius.

Lily recalled that memory as the castle swept closer. Something had changed. Really, nothing was too different; she had boarded the train as usual, and in years past she had found herself sitting with varying members of the group surrounding her. But there were subtle differences between where she was now, and what had been. James barely spoke to her for months after the courtyard incident fifth year; the air around them had been no longer thick and uncertain, it was then thin, yet the air of uncertainty had only increased. Her life around the other Marauders had remained the same; Sirius as wanton as ever, Remus as kind as always. Peter was always a small yet comforting presence, though shadowed by his companions. She wondered what she had done so different than their other confrontations. So yes, she had boarded the train, and found herself with three of the Marauders, but something was different. That, unlike everything else, was certain.

Her eyes flicked over yet again to the boy across from her. He had stuck a quill behind his ear, and a stray drop of ink splattered his forehead. Lily couldn't help but smirk; what with him constantly mussing his own hair and the obvious lack of any awareness to wrinkled clothes, James was just so _messy_. Sirius' eyes widened for a second, and he furiously scribbled a note down on the parchment and nudged James, who was staring at the ceiling in thought. James looked down to the parchment, eyes flicking over the words quickly. Lily watched him grin a slow, wicked smile and let out a low chuckle. The sound seemed to physically reverberate through Lily's chest; she felt her stomach turn as she watched him bite his lip to write down a reply and she hurriedly looked away. With all the questions she had, she could only wonder.

What happened to James?

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when she felt a timid nudge on her foot. She looked up to see Peter looking back and forth between herself and the castle. She caught his eye and he raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Homesick?"

"No, not quite yet," she answered back, thinking of her mother in her pajamas and Petunia baking silently. However horrible home was sometimes, she always eventually came to miss it.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant," Peter corrected kindly. He gestured his head towards the castle. "I meant the other one." Lily put her elbow on the edge of the window to catch a further glimpse of the approaching school. Lily looked over at him and smiled, before replying,

"Yes. Very much." Peter nodded before turning to look at the figure himself; with the window slightly cracked, the wind tousled itself with his hair and he rubbed his eyes absently. Suddenly, the sound as smooth as glass, came a voice from behind her.

"Ah there it is," exclaimed James, absentmindedly pushing up his glasses. He leaned into her, as close as he had been outside the compartment. Evidently, in the short duration of their conversation, he had left Sirius and Peter's side to join hers, slipping through the air quieter than falling snow. She stared at him as he drawled "The place of my comings, the place of my woes; where will it take us dear Evans?"

"I dunno, hopefully Transfiguration, and Potions, and-"

"No, no! Where will it take us soon coming, after spring has passed and the time has come to integrate our little selves into the wizarding society? Where will we go?"

"Well, there are these things called careers, James." James grinned, peering at her as he leaned back into the seat.

"You're killing my vibe here Evans."

"Well, when you talk like that-"

"I thought you had a refined taste in men."

"I do. You're just tacky." Sirius barked out a laugh across from her, earning him a reproachful look from James.

"Tacky," James repeated, "what a horrible word." The group sat in silence as the trained pulled onto the final stretch of land; the lanterns in the distance looked like stationary fireflies awaiting their arrival. "And here we are." James murmured.

"That place'll be glad to be rid of you," she murmured, "poor McGonagall."

"This year and next," James reminded her, "two years."

"I reckon you're out in the next three months." Lily drawled, narrowing her eyes when she saw Sirius smirking across from her. "You too." He opened his mouth in mock surprise, and let out an offended huff. "Oh, please, it's a miracle you two haven't been kicked out already."

"You know, Peter and Remus have red hands too Evans," James pointed out besides her, letting out a shrug when Peter let out a noise of offence. Lily only snorted. "What makes this year so different?"James asked with raised eyebrows. "We haven't gotten caught yet." Lily couldn't help but laugh, mentally, at the irony of James himself asking that question. She tried to stay indifferent as she replied back,

"I'm sure you all will find something. Honestly, I can tell she has a soft spot for you, but it can only go so far."

"She?"

"McGonagall." James puffed out an indignant breath of air while Sirius choked out a laugh. Peter shook his head silently. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"She tolerates us, at most, sweetheart."

"If you ever call me sweetheart again-"

"Evans, people have done a lot worse things than we have. You've got to give us that." Lily shrugged, for what he said was technically true.

"True. But it's not about severity, it's about consistency."

"See, I disagree. If you commit one big crime, you have an equal chance of getting caught as committing multiple small ones."

"McGonagall's smarter than you think."

"She's smarter than all of us combined," James admitted, "but as you said. Maybe she's got a soft spot for us."

"God save you all then." Sirius exclaimed sarcastically. James was silent beside Lily, suddenly lost in thought.

"It's going to be different that's for sure," he suddenly said, "but not in a way any of us are going to like." Lily's eyes furrowed; James demeanor had shifted silently and quickly, catching her by surprise yet again.

"Man, don't bring that up-" Sirius groaned.

"Well Jesus, Padfoot, it's kind of a big deal, you know, with people being murdered and all-"

"James-"  
"Woah, murders?" Lily asked, taken aback at the sudden turn in conversation. "I thought we were talking about pranks! You planning to murder someone James?" she asked, feigning worry.

"Don't you get the papers Evans?" James asked, genuinely surprised. Lily shook her head as she replied,

"Wizard papers _move_ , James." The first time Lily had received the Daily Prophet on her doorstep, Petunia had screamed and fainted.

"Oh yeah, the Muggle thing." James said, becoming silent once more.

"Dammit, James, who's been-" The train came to a halt, and Lily was swiftly interrupted.

They had arrived.

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She stood still, and her shadow blended with the surrounding darkness.

The train had groaned from the journey as Lily had tried to repeat her question. Sirius had jumped up, letting out a string of curse words, and yet again Lily was denied her answer. James wore a look of panic, and asked what was wrong. Sirius' eyes had flicked quickly out the window to the pooling moonlight on the castle, which seemed to be enough for James. He hurriedly grabbed his trunk from behind her, hitting Peter across from him with it, and lunged out the door. The other two followed, and yet again Lily was left alone.

So, she stood still, outside the train, and she watched her shadow dance back and forth to trade patches of darkness with the others.

She felt as if she hadn't really rode on the train; she decided she had more lain underneath it, between the rails, and slept. She scowled, because as nice as that fantasy was, she still remembered every second of the journey.

She was left alone with her thoughts, though not long. In a matter of minutes, Marlene's shadow came rushing forward to meet Lily. Lily found herself staring into golden brown eyes, opened wide as hands pressed on her cheeks.

"Lily."

"Yes?"

"Did you spend the entire ride with that boy?"

"Yes."

"Godammit!" Marlene exclaimed, whirling away and throwing her arms up in the air.

"Wait, with who?" Mary asked, coming up shortly behind Marlene.

"James," Lily replied. Mary's eyes widened and she looked at Lily in disbelief. Lily grinned as she added, "and everyone else." Marlene whipped around to stare at Lily as she said in a low voice,

"They were all there?"

"Not Lupin."

Both girls stood and stared at Lily. Marlene's robes whipped around her as the wind began to pick up; her short black hair licked at her face like flames. Mary stood with her hand on her forehead, kicking at the ground absently. Mary spoke first.

"Well, jeez, Lil, what did you do?"

"I didn't _do_ anything to them. James just offered me a seat, and you lot had your own trouble, as it seemed." Marlene made a retching noise while Mary rolled her eyes.

"Those two. Good lord."  
"So how did they do?" Lily questioned, wiggling her eyebrows as they began to move towards the carriages.

"No better than last year," Marlene remarked, "mad for each other, but you know Alice."

"I know Frank," Lily corrected, "and I think something's going on with him, but I don't know what."

"Lil, you think something's going on with _everybody_ ," Mary said, exasperated. "Just last year you interrogated me for _months_ -"

"Because you fancy Sirius."

" _Fancied_. Past tense. We all go through that phase." Mary smiled slyly, looking over at Marlene.

"Shove off." Marlene huffed, ungracefully dumping her things on the seat as they all loaded into a carriage. "And don't think you're all smart, Lily, we're still going to weasel that train ride out of you." Lily groaned; the thought of recounting the whole ride sounded less than appealing. Nevertheless, the trio sat down on together, bundled up with scarves to protect from the now growling wind. The two girls leaned forward with bright eyes as Lily told of James after the had last seen each other. The other girls sat still, with passive faces as Lily recounted the day. When she finished, Mary sat back, still peering at Lily. Marlene blinked slowly before exclaiming,

"That's it?"

"Well, yeah." Marlene sat back and let out a snort, causing Lily to furrow her eyebrows and let out an offended "What?"

"I dunno, I was expecting something a lot more...exciting."

"Me too." Mary added.

"Are you all joking?" Lily said in disbelief.

"Well, Lil, the way you were looking, we thought you had jinxed them to Ireland or something."

"Jesus, you lot are all like Pettigrew," she murmured. "D'you all think I just-"

"Lily." Marlene said sharply, cutting her off. "The worst that happened was you falling asleep on Black's legs...or feet, _whatever_ , and that's not the worst thing _ever_." Mary and Lily exchanged looks and both smiled back at Marlene, earning them both a dark look. "Look, you two, I dunno what you're playing at, but-"

"What Mar is trying to say Lily," Mary interjected, "is that we think you're blowing it up in your head a little." Lily put her cheek on her hand and looked away. "Am I maybe correct in that? I mean, they seemed fairly nice to you from what I heard, and Sirius was just Sirius. Don't turn this into one of those weird dramatic movies you always make me watch. Do you kind of get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, whatever," Lily admitted grudgingly.

"See, it's-"

"And don't insult Coppola, his movies are-"

"Cinematic glory with too much nostalgia. He's a new kind of genius." Both girls chorused. Marlene muttered various obscenities under her breath, along the lines of 'ridiculous' and 'bloody godfather'.

"Come on Lil. I don't think it was as bad as you think it was."

"Okay, okay, I got it." Lily said, exasperated. But secretly, Mary's words resonated with the clashing thoughts she had possessed; maybe the train ride hadn't been such a big deal. Yet the absence of Remus and the casualness of James still hung above her head, as did the calculated eyes of Sirius Black. They rode the rest of the way in silence, each privy to their own thoughts as their carriage drew closer to the castle.

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A/N: Hi guys! I can't tell you how excited I was to see folks following this story! I was so happy, thank you so much! So, I'll be starting school soon, but I'll try to update as often as possible. I have lots of fun ideas; I hope you'll like them! As always reviews are so very much appreciated.

A quick side note: I have changed my username, so now it fits with some other social media I have.

Much love for you all.

~olivesandfun


	5. Chapter 4: The Group

Chapter Four

 _~in which Lily gains an opportunity~_

Lily winced as the large wooden door let out a groan. Looking into the room, she saw musty light spilling from the tall windows, pooling on the dark floor. A bookcase wrapped itself around the burgundy walls, books meticulously rearranging themselves. A portrait of a handsome young man in a suit peered at her from across the room, and his eyes slowy flicked to the rooms center. At a simple desk sat a woman with spectacles, scratching away at a piece of parchment.

"You wanted to see me, Professor McGonagall?" Lily said softly. The woman's eyes rushed up to meet those of Lily's and a faint smile scratched her lips.

"Yes, Ms. Evans, take a seat." she said, gesturing to a big chair across from her. Lily sank into the chair, grateful for the relief from a long night of managing first-years. The plushness of the seat almost reminded her of the train.

"I wanted to talk to you about the research you started last year." Lily's eyes whipped away from the man in the portrait to the woman in front of her, widening in curiousity.

"There are a few problems we have." McGonagall admitted. Lily clasped her hands together, resting them underneath her chin, before adding softly,

"Such as?"

McGonagall set her quill down on the desk, and spoke in a monotonous voice.

"There are numerous miscalculations in the physics regarding proportion, as well as speed. You failed to take wand length, core, and wood into mind, and half of your thesis is based on theory without proof-"

"I thought I gave you-"

"Proof from the Muggle world, Ms. Evans. One of the larger problems we have is the acceptance of this, and you of all people should know of the controversy this could bring."

"Professor," she said cautiously, "this could change a lot." The teacher shook her head slowly.

"It needs further work for it to gain more ground."

"I-"

"Which is why I've decided to help you."

Lily sat straight up in her chair.

"You will?"

"I will," she said, speaking over Lily bouncing in her chair with excitement, "on the condition that if you or any other student is placed in danger, you will obey me without question."

"Yes, of course," Lily agreed.

"We will meet every other Friday, Ms. Evans. 7:00 here. Does that work with your schedule?"

"If it doesn't, I'll make it. Thank you so much, Professor." Lily gathered up her things around her, hustling towards the door.

"Oh, and Ms. Evans," she heard her teacher call, halfway out the door. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Professor." Lily grinned. Mind buzzing, she shut the door behind her and ran down the corridor, leaving the warm echo of footsteps behind her.

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"What was that about?" Marlene asked, languidly sprawled across a couch with an old book.

"McGonagall wanted to see me," Lily replied, nestling near her feet at the end of the couch. "About last year's research."

"What did she say?"

"Well to paraphrase, she said it sucked. But she want to develop it further." Marlene snorted from behind her book.

"What more can you do?"

"Nothing, but I'm meeting with her every Friday to work on it." Marlene looked up with genuine interest, saying incredulously,

"You're going to work _with_ McGonagall? Shit, Lily."

"Yeah." Lily grinned back, before turning her head to meet a close approaching Mary.

"What's got you two so happy?" Mary said, ungracefully plopping down by the fireplace, swearing softly when a stray piece of parchment lit on fire.

"Lily's working with McGonagall on the stuff we did last year-"

"The stuff _I_ did last year," Lily reminded her, "you dismissed it as 'nothing but Muggle tosh'-"

"That's before we actually believed you," Mary interjected, still trying in vain to pat out her parchment. "It's brilliant Lil."

Lily gave the girl a grateful smile, resting her head against the back of the couch. Shadows danced with each other on the common room's ceiling, cast by the dim fire. There was only a comfortable silence as the three sat, with only the slightest interruptions as other Gryffindor's passed by. Lily closed her eyes, only to feel a slight tug at her hair. Keeping her eyes closed, she let out a long sigh.

"Hello, James," said Marlene beside her. "Care to leave?"

"McKinnon," came a deep voice from behind her head, "charmed, as usual. Like the new haircut." Even with eyes still closed, Lily could practically feel Marlene roll her eyes beside her. Lily opened her eyes, only to still see the ceiling. Frowning, she turned her head to the right to see James with his chin rested on the couch. His eyes flicked over to meet hers, and he smiled with closed lips. "Get in alright, Evans?"

"Just fine," she replied breathily. He was too close; his smell of wood and vanilla overpowered her. "You?" James only hummed what seemed a yes in response. "D'you have your classes yet?"

In response, James reached into his pocket and pulled out a rumpled piece of parchment, Lily reaching down to her bag on the floor to do the same. Lily inspected both together on her lap, the papers showing the same Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Arithmancy, and Transfiguration.

"James," she said tentatively, glancing over the parchment once more, "you took Muggle Studies?" He only shrugged and smiled, taking his schedule and promptly shoving it in his back pocket. Lily studied him, and he only looked back with quiet eyes. His sweatered arm brushed her bare one. Behind him by the fire, Mary cast a silent _aguamenti_ to put out the small fire that was her paper.

"How was the train ride?" Marlene dryly asked beside her. Lily's mind flicked through images of the train ride, and paused at the end; something clicked. As James opened his mouth to let out a surely snarky remark, Lily cut him off, causing him to look over at her in alarm.

"James, who was murdered?"

James eyes turned dark. He stood up from his place behind her, running his hand through his hair.

"On the train, you mentioned murders."

"Yeah, I know."

"You don't know about that?" Marlene asked from beside her. "I thought you of all people would." James nodded his head in agreement.

"Obviously not, and maybe instead of mulling over the fact that I have no idea what you lot are talking about, you all could bloody get on with it-"

"Four Muggle families were found dead in London." James sighed.

"All in the same place?"

James shook his head, replying,

"Two in Westminster, one in Kensington, and one in Brixton." Lily's mind reeled; she had family in Brixton, and she herself lived not too far away from Westminster.

"That's still fairly close together," Mary interjected.

"How many?" Lily asked in a strained voice.

"Seventeen people total." Lily put her head in her hands, breathing out slowly. She could feel every inch of her body pressing into the couch. Her mind caught on something, and a bolt of fear ran a line down her chest.

"Are they tied to-"

"I think so," James said, anger painted on his face, "but the Ministry refuses to acknowledge it." Lily swore softly. The fire let out a pop, and two girls came down into the common room, laughing. As on the ceiling, the fire's shadows danced across James' face, and all were left to their own thoughts.

The heavy silence was soon broken when Peter and Sirius stumbled through the portrait, Sirius mumbling various profanities under the shrill yells of the Fat Lady. All turned to look.

"Good evening," Sirius said eloquently. "And how are we?"

"Hello," Peter also greeted. "Don't mind us."

"Sirius," Lily sighed, "it's the first day. Don't tell me you've already pissed her off."

"Nah," he replied, moving Marlene's legs and sitting in between her and Lily. "She was telling me off about something we did last year."

"What did you do?" Lily asked incredulously. Peter quietly took a seat next to Mary, both exchanging tentative smiles.

"On the last day, both Sir Cadogan and The Fat Lady got a little drunk," James said from behind her. "We sent them on a 'quest' for more wine and they ended up getting chased by a rhinoceros in one of the safari paintings."

Sirius barked out a laugh beside her, nudging her knee.

"Oh c'mon Evans," he said, "that's funny. I mean, they were all dirty, and covered with leaves." He turned to face Marlene. "That's funny."

"I think it was a little traumatizing," Peter added. "Sir Cadogan challenges me to a duel every time I see him now." Mary snickered from beside him. Lily looked up to meet the eyes of James, his staring at her intently. The shadows were cast too well on his face, and she was forced to look away. He cleared his throat before asking,

"Get everything sorted out, Prongs?"

"Yeah, we're good mate." Sirius responded, tying his wild hair into a bun like he had on the train. Marlene let out a noise from behind her book. "What?" he asked her.

"You look like a girl." she murmured, turning a page.

"Reckon I'm prettier than you," he grinned, snapping her book shut. "Want to put a bet on it?"

"If you didn't look to see what page I was on," Marlene groaned, "I _will_ kill you." Sirius chuckled. "I will," she insisted.

James let out a low whistle, before declaring,

"All right you lot. I'm exhausted. I'm going to head up." The rest of them agreed, all getting up with various amounts of success. Mary paused, looking at Lily still resting with her knees tucked into her arms at the end of the couch.

"You coming, Lil?"

"Yeah, I'll be right up." Lily replied, staring into the fireplace. With all upstairs, silence sat with her as an unwelcome friend while she thought of seventeen people. A lonely tear dripped down her cheek and she laid down, thinking of Petunia, her mother, and her father, wherever he was. Soon, sleep came, and Lily was left alone with a dying fire.

And that was the first day.

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A/N: Hello! Sorry I haven't updated this in a while, I've been really busy. Hopefully everyone is liking this so far, I'd love some reviews! And again as a disclaimer, I own sod all, characters and everything. -olivesandfun


	6. Chapter 5: The Plant

Chapter 5

 _~in which Lily shares a drink and a book~_

Lily woke up to find the common room empty. She looked to the clock her left: the hands pointed to three. Slowly, the second hand ticked out a steady rhythm. She groaned, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep; her daylong train ride into the night had come with enough sleep, almost too much. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, staring absentmindedly out of the tall windows across the way. The waning moon looked barely full, and it's light was barely a whisper poking through the now cloudy sky. The fire beside the couch was but a murmur, casting dark shadows around the common room, and it's warm tones clashed with the faint silver light pooling through the windows. Lily wondered if anything could be more beautiful.

The moonlight reminded her of her mother's hair; while Lily had inherited her dark red waves from Thomas, her mother Rowan had dark brown locks that had slowly turned silver at an early age. Lily recalled fondly of a picture of Rowan with a chin-length silver hair, bouncing a young Petunia on her lap. Behind them stood an athletic, broad man in a dark sweater, grinning and sticking his tongue out from underneath his teeth while tousling Petunia's dark curls. Thomas and Rowan looked only twenty five. Before they had Lily, the two were professors; Rowan taught English at the high school, and Thomas was a mathematician at the university. The two had chosen to homeschool Lily and Petunia, and Lily more often than not chose to study with her father.

" _Lilypad, do you see this?" Thomas said, squatting down next to her. She lifted up her head to see him holding a small green sprout between his fingers. Lily threw down her spade into the dirt, scrambling over to peer at the plant._

" _Dad, why did you pick it?" she gasped. "It was growing-"_

" _Measure it." Lily rolled her eyes. "Very nine year old of you," her father smirked._

" _I am nine years old, silly." Lily grumbled, but reached for the plant in his hand, picking up a dirty ruler next to the tulips. Slowly, she measured the plant as Thomas stood up to tend to the vines climbing up the posts next to her. She scribbled down the measurements in her notebook. When she finished, she looked back up at Thomas with a raised eyebrow. He smiled warmly, and Lily slowly smiled back._

" _Now tell me your observations."_

 _Lily looked closely at the sprout. It's little leaves were symmetrical, and the arrangement of the leaves on the stem were almost-_

" _Perfect."_

 _Thomas nodded, still meticulously braiding the fragile vines._

" _Now Lily," he said in a warm voice, "why do you think I asked you to take measurements?" Lily scrunched up her nose and peered at her father. The light coming through the greenhouse hit their heads at the same time, making their dark red hair glow orange. They were the spitting images of each other, dressed in overalls covered in dirt. He cocked an eyebrow as she thought, and Lily gasped,_

" _The Fibonacci Sequence!"_

" _Good girl," Thomas chuckled. "Here's a calculator."_

Lily shook her head and put her hands on her forehead. The memory was a cut in a fresh wound: Thomas had disappeared two months after her fifth year, making Petunia more bitter and her mother more immersed in depressing literature than she previously had been. Stretched out on the common room couch, Lily stared up at the ceiling. A small, green dragon model crawled across, and Lily watched it, wondering as she had many times where her father had gone.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when a low, masculine groan came from the couch across from her. Lily stifled a yelp and clutched at her chest, jumping up off of her seat. On the chair lay a rumpled blanket covering what appeared to be covering a boy looking practically melted into the seat. He was too big to fit: his feet peeked out from underneath the blanket and his tousled head of hair hung off of the couch's arm. Lily tiptoed closer, finding a spattering of freckles across the boy's nose and a long scar running from his temple to his exposed collarbone.

"Remus?" she whispered. The boy gave a sudden start, throwing off the blanket and sitting up suddenly. His grey eyes were wild, and they met hers unflinchingly and cold. Lily held the stare, though her chest heaved. The boy looked unsettled, like a puzzle piece forced into the wrong spot. Yet as suddenly as he had woken, Remus' eyes softened, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a crooked smile. In a voice cloaked with sleep, he grinned,

"Lily Evans."

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Lily silently transfigured two mugs, casting an _aguamenti_ and a heating charm. Walking over to her bag, she pulled out two bags of tea her mother had sent her with. Remus' eyes watched her warily, but with an air of trust.

"I thought you weren't supposed to come in until tomorrow," Lily said sitting down, handing Lupin a mug.

"Well, you must've gotten that from either James, Sirius, or Peter," Remus remarked, taking a cautious sip, "because they're the only ones that know that. When did you see them?"

"We shared a cabin, actually. Everywhere else was full, and to be honest, screw the Prefect cabin."

Lupin hummed in agreement.

"Did you answer any of the group letters Mafalda sent out?"

Lily only snorted in response, replying,

"We have to meet Professor Dumbledore-"

"Tomorrow, yeah." Remus interrupted. "What does your schedule look like?"

Lily pulled out the parchment once more, and handed it over. "Transfiguration," Lupin murmured.

"I've got about twenty classes with James, and probably the same amount with Sirius considering how much they always seem to be together."

"And Peter," Lupin interjected.

"Yeah, and you." Lily said, poking him in the side.

"Yeah and me." The boy rolled his eyes, but when she turned to look at the clock once more she saw the smile pulling at his mouth. "It's four," Remus noted absently. "Why aren't you upstairs?" Lily frowned.

"I wanted to stay down here a bit. James and Marlene told me about the Muggle murders."

"What about them?"

"Well, to start off, that they happened."

"You didn't know?" Lupin asked with his eyebrows raised. Lily shook her head. "I figured Dumbledore… at least McGonagall would send you a letter." Lily's interest spiked.

"Why would they?"

"Well, they know you live in a highly Muggle populated suburban area where you can't get wizarding news. Don't you actually live near where they happened?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Did they put up any Wards or protection spells?"

"Not to my knowledge." Lupin cursed quietly under his breath, opening his mouth to speak before Lily cut him off.

"I know it's a big deal, Remus. My dad's missing." Remus' eyes widened before he sat back into the coach.

"Do you think he might-"

"Don't you say it. I know it's not why he disappeared, but it might have happened later." Lily's voice trembled on the last word, and Lupin knew better than to say anything. The two sat and stared at the glowing embers of the now dead fire. Lily thought of her father, and green light. After a while, Lily grabbed two books from her bag, handing one to Remus. The two read in a cradle of silence as minutes passed into an hour. Lily wished she had not slept so much on the train.

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As the hand of the clock reached six, a thundering of feet came from behind them, and from the staircase poured three boys. Lupin's eyes lifted up to meet Lily's, and she shook her head. Behind Remus came Sirius, putting him in a headlock and laughing. Lupin looked up and grinned, softly touching the other boy's forearm. As Sirius released him, Lupin turned around to see James and Peter grinning.

"Moony. You look like hell." James grinned.

"Been though hell-"

"Shut up Padfoot-"

"Well, shut me up then-"

"Jesus," Lily muttered, "a lot of animals you are." James' eyes turned dark as they whipped around to meet Lily's figure in the dark. His brow furrowed slightly before he wiped his face completely, reverting back to a casual smirk. With a teasing voice, he said,

"Evans, what are you still doing down here?" Lily's eyes met Lupin's, and the two shared a glance.

"We're both Prefects," Lupin interjected. "We wanted to talk about the stuff we missed."

"It's six in the morning mate," Sirius said, exasperated. "How long have you been up?"

"Four. Evans was up at three." Lily frowned at the use of her last name from Remus, but looked back to James.

"You should really get some sleep, Lily," Peter suggested. "You look tired."

"I really appreciate it Peter, but honestly when did you lot become my caregivers? Jesus." Peter only shrugged.

"Aw, Miss Evans," Sirius said, sitting down beside her. "A train ride can mean a lot." With it came a quickly vanishing grin as Lily fingered her wand and tapped it menacingly.

"Very much so," Lily murmured, before looking up with alarm. She had not meant to speak aloud.

James' eyes met hers, and the two did not look away. All were quiet, except the hand of the clock in the background. Sirius cleared his throat in obvious discomfort. Finally, Peter exclaimed,

"I'm going to see if they've set out breakfast early. They did last year." Sirius whooped in agreement before the two rushed out of the common room door. James turned back to her slowly to restore their broken eye contact as the door slammed shut. The Fat Lady's Shrieks were barely muffled by the heavy wood.

"Breakfast?" he said. Lily nodded, and the two left the common room behind.

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A/N: Hi everyone! I know it;s been a long time, I'm so sorry! I'll try to update more frequently with longer chapters, I promise :) I know it's a slow start, but we'll start getting into a thicker plot soon.

As always, I'll take everything I can get with reviews, advice, anything! Thank you all for sticking with me on this one.

-olivesandfun


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